Fountain Valley Ca

A pipe bomb was discovered and dismantled Friday afternoon in the gymnasium of Fountain Valley High School, authorities said. Police and fire squads responded to reports of a small fire in the boys' locker room at the school shortly after 3:30 p.m., said police Sgt. Kevin Thomas. Firefighters opened a smoking locker and found two small fires and a metal pipe with a cap on one end, Thomas said. It appears that the fires were intended to ignite the apparent pipe bomb, he said.

Orange County sheriff's deputies continued searching Sunday for a man witnesses said had tried to kidnap a mentally disabled girl after she wandered away from a softball game in Fountain Valley. The man was leading the 10-year-old out of Mile Square Regional Park at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday when he was stopped by friends and relatives of the girl, authorities said. The child, who has Down syndrome, had wandered away from a softball game her family was watching.

A motorcyclist who died after a Monday crash has been identified as Scott Christopher Butcher, 22, of Huntington Beach. Butcher died about 6:30 p.m. when his motorcycle, heading east on Ellis Avenue, collided with a car going north on Santa Andrea Street, police said.

La Curacao, a 100,000-square-foot superstore that caters to Latino immigrants, is scheduled to open its doors this week in Fountain Valley, surprising some in Santa Ana who wondered why their heavily Latino city didn't land the retail outfit. In Santa Ana, "it's all about how we can attract non-Hispanics, so I'm not surprised the store is in Fountain Valley," said Sam Romero, who owns a Santa Ana religious-articles shop.

Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America kicked off a campaign Tuesday to raise $100,000 to save one of the city's elementary school music programs endangered by state budget cuts. The company said at the district's annual arts festival fund-raiser that it will match each dollar raised by other businesses and community members up to $50,000. The Fountain Valley School District is bracing for up to $2 million in state cuts to next year's $42-million budget.

An immigration hearing for a Pakistani student who was picked up by federal investigators for questioning after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was postponed Monday at his attorney's request. Attorney Carrye Washington asked that the hearing for Ahmed Atta be continued until she had time to review the case. Atta has been jailed since Oct. 8. Atta and Salman Hyder, both 19, have been questioned at least five times by the FBI since they were picked up last month.

Many La Colonia Juarez residents are still waiting for a city survey to arrive, but they'll soon be getting something else in their mailboxes--a city newsletter. The Neighborhoods News flier will explain recent changes in the Neighborhood Improvement and Community Enhancement Program, including the delay of the Calle Zaragosa mural survey and the cleanup, city Housing Coordinator Chris Corbin said last week. Corbin said the city may hire a third party to conduct the survey.

City workers and Boy Scouts found more than junk waiting for them at Saturday's city-sponsored cleanup of the La Colonia Juarez neighborhood: They were treated to a feast of homemade tacos, rice, beans and salad. "We started cooking at the crack of dawn," resident Rose Luna, 63, said. "It's a thank-you to all the guys who worked so hard." For the men and 10 Boy Scouts from Troop No.

An additional $100,000 was approved this week to expand the city's first-time home-buyer program. Eighteen families received $341,000 in loans this year, all but depleting the $350,000 allocated for fiscal 1997-98. In response, the Agency for Community Development, made up of City Council members, this week approved the extra funds to keep the program running through the year. Officials approved the program in March 1997 to promote home ownership in town.

No new newspaper racks can be placed in the city for 45 days. After a request from the owner of a real estate publication to install 25 to 50 news racks in the city, officials on Tuesday issued an immediate moratorium to allow the city attorney's office time to study the matter. First Amendment guarantees of a free press allow racks. Exceptions are made when placement compromises safety or the appearance of the city.

A Fountain Valley man was sentenced to more than five years in prison Thursday for his role in an elaborate series of schemes to smuggle undocumented immigrants from China into the United States for as much as $60,000 apiece. Claud Wei, 44, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge James V. Selna to pay a $20,000 fine. Before 9/11, Wei and several co-conspirators recruited U.S.

Youngsong Martin's table linens are the talk of upscale parties and weddings. Made with embroidered silks, colorful fabrics, beads and jewels, her tablecloths, napkins and chair coverings are catching the eyes of event planners and brides looking for designs as exciting as the lavish parties they throw. And her creations are all for rent.

To many people, chocolate itself is a miracle. But to workers at a Fountain Valley candy factory, the real miracle occurred when a glob of the melted confection became molded into what some believe is a miniature statue of the Virgin Mary. "It's absolutely a miracle," said Jacinto Santacruz, 26, a Mexican-born Roman Catholic who found the 2 1/2 -inch piece and saw a likeness of Our Lady of Guadalupe this week at Bodega Chocolates on Newhope Street.

One of the biggest challenges for Rabbi Rebecca Schorr these days is leaving her work at the office. "When my husband and I are hanging out with my parents, we have to make sure that dinner doesn't become shop talk," said Schorr, 35, whose better half works in retail development. What makes it challenging is that Rabbi Stephen J. Einstein, with whom Schorr shares the pulpit at Fountain Valley's Congregation B'nai Tzedek, is also her father.

Police on Sunday were looking for Christopher Jason Brown Sr., a Los Angeles man accused of shooting his estranged wife on a Fountain Valley street. Police allege that shortly after noon Saturday, Brown's 25-year-old wife, Stephanie, was a passenger in her father's car near the intersection of Ellis Avenue and Ward Street when Brown drove up alongside and shot her in the torso. Brown, 41, then fled in a black 1993 Ford Thunderbird, police said.

Four buildings in an apartment complex were evacuated early Tuesday after a 70-pound artillery shell was discovered in a garage, officials said. The ordnance was later determined to be inactive. The discovery was made about 10:30 a.m. at the Corte Bella Apartments on Slater Avenue, police said. The Orange County Sheriff's Department bomb squad investigated inspected the shell and determined that it was inoperable inoperative, officials said.

A family got a rude awakening early Wednesday when a vehicle slammed through a block wall and plowed into their backyard swimming pool, police said. No one was seriously injured during the 2 a.m. incident near Ellis Avenue and Bushard Street in Fountain Valley, police said. Crystal Nguyen, 25, of Fountain Valley lost control of the SUV when she tried to make a turn, police said. She was not cited pending an investigation.

A motorcyclist who died after a Monday crash has been identified as Scott Christopher Butcher, 22, of Huntington Beach. Butcher died about 6:30 p.m. when his motorcycle, heading east on Ellis Avenue, collided with a car going north on Santa Andrea Street, police said.

A 22-year-old motorcyclist died Monday after colliding with a car at Ellis Avenue and Santa Andrea Street. The man, whose name was not released, died at the scene. The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m., police said, when the motorcycle, traveling east on Ellis, collided with a sedan traveling north on Santa Andrea. The driver of the sedan was not injured. The cause of the accident is under investigation, police said.